Opinion: George H.W. Bush Doc Puts Family, Not Politics, at the Fore for 41

Friday, June 15, 2012 - 11:48 AM

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Last night HBO aired a documentary on the 41st President of the United States, George H.W. Bush. Whether you agree with his politics or not, two things immediately come to mind while watching – he has unconditional love both for his family and the country he was honored to serve.

From the tranquil shores of Kennebunkport, Maine, to the theater of battle in World War II, to the corridors of power in the West Wing, Bush takes the viewers on a remarkable journey, while displaying both a good deal of modesty and wit.

One cannot watch 41 without thinking back to a different era in American politics, before the 24/7 cable chatter and millions of campaign contributions flooding the system from wealthy donors, union dues and Super PACs. There is a sense of civility – nobility, even – in Bush’s pride in and dedication to public service.

And yet, the film’s most poignant moments revolve around Bush’s discussion of his family. We see the wrenching heartbreak of losing his second born child, Robin, to leukemia in her infancy; the sorrow of his father never having had the chance to see his son become President of the United States.

A story not in the documentary, but one of my favorites about our 41st president, is a touching moment shared between father and son as relayed by my former boss, White House Chief of Staff Andy Card. Just after the inauguration in 2001, Card was alone with the President in the Oval Office when a door opened and shut. Silence. “Mr. President,” greeted one. “Mr. President,” said the other. Such was the respect that both men had for each other and the Oval Office: in that room, they would only address each other by their formal title. Card said there were many moist eyes at that moment of pride.

As for me, I had a brief encounter with the 41st President as I made my way from a meeting in the West Wing that I will never forget. Just past the Situation Room in the basement of the West Wing are a series of chairs and a couch for impromptu meetings or phone calls. Seated with his back against the wall in a chair facing out sat a smiling George H.W. Bush. Walking up to greet the former president, I asked him what brought him to the West Wing that morning. “I’m just a proud father here to show unconditional love and support for his son,” he told me.

That is 41 in a nutshell: a proud and honorable man who has shown unconditional love and support for his family and country he was honored to serve.

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He recently served as a Resident Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government Institute of Politics for the Fall 2011 term at Harvard University. From 2002 to 2004, he was Acting Director of USA Freedom Corps and special assistant to President George W. Bush. He began service at the White House in 2001 as deputy assistant to Vice President Cheney for domestic policy, advising the Vice President on policy initiatives in health care, budget, tax and other policy areas.

Comments [1]

Jack Jackson
from Central New Jersey

Sorry, though G.W. Bush's governance was head and shoulders above his dunderheaded son, I am not ready to participate in any hagiography for George Bush...His involvement with the Iran-Contra treason popularized the terms 'plausible deniability' and 'out of the loop'. His campaign head - Lee Atwater - began the long slow slide to the current dismissiveness that prevents any substantial action for the American people by our Congress - think Willie Horton. Finally, his incomplete handling of the first Gulf War left Saddam in power to devour his opposition and gave Dubya the casus belli to mislead us into the second Iraq War.

As a Republican, George Bush is a cut above the current leadership but still not an acceptable model for future presidents, in my view.

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